CHICAGO (Reuters) – Eating bacon, sausage, hot dogs and other processed meats can raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study that identifies the real bad boys of the meat counter.

Eating unprocessed beef, pork or lamb appeared not to raise risks of heart attacks and diabetes, they said, suggesting that salt and chemical preservatives may be the real cause of these two health problems associated with eating meat.

The study, an analysis of other research called a meta-analysis, did not look at high blood pressure or cancer, which are also linked with high meat consumption.

"To lower risk of heart attacks and diabetes, people should consider which types of meats they are eating," said Renata Micha of the Harvard School of Public Health, whose study appears in the journal Circulation.

"Processed meats such as bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs and processed deli meats may be the most important to avoid," Micha said in a statement.

Based on her findings, she said people who eat one serving per week or less of processed meats have less of a risk.

The American Meat Institute objected to the findings, saying it was only one study and that it stands in contrast to other studies and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

"At best, this hypothesis merits further study. It is certainly no reason for dietary changes," James Hodges, president of the American Meat Institute, said in a statement.

Most dietary guidelines recommend eating less meat. Individual studies looking at relationships between eating meat and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes have had mixed results.

But studies rarely look for differences in risk between processed and unprocessed red meats, Micha said.

She and colleagues did a systematic review of nearly 1,600 studies from around the world looking for evidence of a link between eating processed and unprocessed red meat and the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

They defined processed meat as any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or with the addition of chemical preservatives. Meats in this category included bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs or processed deli or luncheon meats.

Unprocessed red meat included beef, lamb or pork but not poultry.

They found that on average, each 1.8 oz (50 grams) daily serving of processed meat a day -- one to two slices of deli meats or one hot dog -- was associated with a 42 percent higher risk of heart disease and a 19 percent higher risk of developing diabetes.

They found no higher heart or diabetes risk in people who ate only unprocessed red meats.

The team adjusted for a number of factors, including how much meat people ate. They said lifestyle factors were similar between those who ate processed and unprocessed meats.

"When we looked at average nutrients in unprocessed red and processed meats eaten in the United States, we found that they contained similar average amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol," Micha said.

"In contrast, processed meats contained, on average, four times more sodium and 50 percent more nitrate preservatives," Micha added.

Last month, the Institute of Medicine urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of salt added to foods to help Americans cut their high sodium intake.

The FDA has not yet said whether it will regulate salt in foods, but it is looking at the issue.

I have both a "lipid" problem and a "sugar' (Type II diabetes problem). Part of this is due to my age (62) and part due to genetics. But both of these factors are made worse by diet.

At first all I ever heard was the "low fat" mantra. So I followed that approach. Didn't help much.

What this study points out is that the type and amount of salt and sugars are perhaps as important as fat intake, Processed meats contain both salt, nitrates, and sugars in differing amounts.

Most of the popular diet plans advise avoiding processed meats (this includes Atkins). So there is something to this.

A few weeks ago I made some major dietary changes; I have eliminated processed meats as part of this. I'll have my tests redone in September. This will be interesting.

Good luck with that. The low fat diets have been closely linked to the current problems we're seeing today with obesity, diabetes, etc. because lipids are precursors of hormone production. Without them, the body gets all jacked up.

This study was probably done from earmarks in a totally unrelated bill. Just another big reason why we need new people in DC. Like RNC says, it was unnecessary and a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Sheesh.

I hope you get some good results from the new diet, cubsfan, and don't have to take insulin. Good luck to you!

Thanks to all of you. It's hard to change long held habits. So far my glucose has stabilized around 100. My weight is slowly starting to drop. Which is fine, since it took a long time to get it up to where it was.
I already find exercise easier, and have added strength training to the cardio. I plan to start Tai Chi too.

I had an uncle who was able to avoid insulin by changing his diet. He lived to be 94.

As far as fast food, well the grilled chicken at KFC seems to be a good choice.